Biodiversity
What is biodiversity?
“Every species is unique and intrinsically valuable, and the diversity of life must be treated as a global resource of inestimable worth—to be studied, used, and, above all, safeguarded.” — E.O. Wilson
Earth hosts countless environments and life forms—the product of nearly four billion years of evolution. To describe this richness of organisms and habitats, biologist E.O. Wilson coined the term biodiversity in 1989.
Biodiversity refers to diversity:
Among species (the myriad animal and plant species on Earth)
Within species (individuals of the same species differ because their genetic makeup differs)
Among ecosystems (the many distinct environments found across the planet)
Audience legend
Teachers / Educators
Upper-secondary students
Primary students / Lower-secondary students
Curious by nature
Biodiversity: It’s Your Business
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Knowing and caring for biodiversity—and recognizing its value, including its economic value—should be everyone’s responsibility, because the quality of life, now and in the future, depends on it.
The Value of Biodiversity
Ecosystem services
The benefits that ecosystems provide to all living beings are called ecosystem services, and can be grouped, schematically, into four types:
Supporting services: soil formation, photosynthesis, nutrient cycling
Provisioning services: food, raw materials, medicines, fresh water, energy
Regulating services: climate regulation, air and water purification, soil-erosion control, pollination, regulation of diseases and pandemics, mitigation of extreme weather events
Cultural services: physical and mental well-being, spiritual and religious values, beauty, cultural diversity, recreation, leisure, sport
This classification reflects the need to understand how ecosystems are changing so we can develop solutions and future scenarios (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, UN, 2005).
